Rachel Duffy from Westmeath crowned the Rose of Tralee 2022
Rachel Duffy from Westmeath has been crowned the 2022 Rose of Tralee. Picture: Domnick Walsh © Eye Focus LTD
Rachel Duffy from Westmeath has been named the Rose of Tralee 2022 as Limerick native and the longest reigning Rose Sinéad Flanagan handed over her crown on Tuesday night.
The 23-year-old is from the village of Rosemount in Co Westmeath and recently graduated from NUI Galway with a BA in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies and Spanish.
On the final night of the festival, peculiar party pieces continued to be a theme as Irish people across the globe awaited the crowning of the 2022 Rose.
It’s been a long few days for the Roses who kickstarted this year’s festival last week and for host Dáithí Ó Sé, a post-show drink will be a welcome sight following what he reckons has been one of the most jam-packed editions yet.
“My last job is to deliver the new Rose of Tralee down to her parents and her friends and believe me, Jimmy Buckley will be in the fourth verse of the Rose of Tralee and I’m going for it,” he joked ahead of the final live show, which featured influencer James Patrice and a cameo from Ireland's most famous bird, Dustin the Turkey.
But before the celebratory drinks got under way, real-life Derry girl, Áine Morrison was first to appear alongside the white-tuxed host on the final evening of the 2022 Rose of Tralee.
Standing on a stage chatting to Ó Sé is probably not the most natural setting for most of us, but the 25-year-old took some comfort in knowing she could lose herself in her music and shared a song she wrote while completing her A-levels.
“It’s only really family that have ever heard it so I’m like, oh my God it’s going to be live on TV. So, I’m excited for that bit. Piano is like my comfort,” the Derry Rose said before taking to the stage.
In a sea of red and white, the Rebels could be heard all the way in Cork as PhD researcher Jenny Byrne brought along a pack of supporters to cheer her on in the Dome.
While many people first dream of becoming a Rose in their younger years, it was the opportunity to make new friends after university that inspired the Douglas native to enter.
“I entered the Cork Rose purely with the intention of meeting other women and making friends again after everybody had left [Cork] and it worked.
"I made some great friends who have all come down to Tralee to support me, but I really never thought I would get this far. It kind of got out of hand a little bit,” she joked.
As many of us were still coming to terms with Monday night’s ice bath, Tuesday’s final show continued to bring plenty of fun and madness as we prepared to wave goodbye to the Rose of Tralee for another year.
Dáithí Ó Sé’s son has been watching his shenanigans from the US but in a couple of years, there’s no doubt he’ll be in the thick of it himself.
“I imagine now he’ll be here in ten years’ time saying ‘OK Dad get out of my way, I’m going down town.’ If he’ll have half as much fun as his father had, he’ll do very well,” Ó Sé laughed.
While admittedly he loves to get involved in pulling off a crazy idea or two, for Ó Sé, some of the more personal stories had stood out as a highlight this year.
“I went to bed last night and I couldn’t remember half the things that we were up to up on stage,” he said before his second night in the Dome.
“I know some of the Roses, they were telling really personal stories about losing people and to see them get through that and to be able to stand up there and deliver it the way they did, that’s always a high point.
"Outside of all of the fun and the games, there’s a serious side to it as well.”
Much missed over the past two years, the Rose of Tralee 2022 certainly delivered with the usual helpings of party pieces and plenty of singing and dancing too — and not just in the Dome.
Wrapping up the celebrations for another year, there's no doubt the town of Tralee will be counting down the days to next year’s festival.
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